1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audiovisual information data processing apparatus that performs storage, storage state display, and the like for audiovisual information data such as image information data and sound information data that involve reproduction limitation information representing limitation on reproduction of audiovisual information represented by the audiovisual information data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an information reproduction system and the like using a personal computer, it is a general practice to store audiovisual information data such as image information data and sound information data in a memory section, read out a selected piece of the stored audiovisual information data from the memory section according to circumstances, and reproduce audiovisual information represented by the audiovisual information data as images, sounds, or images and sounds. In such a case, it is not unusual that the audiovisual information data stored in the memory section are audiovisual information data involving reproduction limitation information representing limitation on reproduction of audiovisual information represented by the audiovisual information data, that is, audiovisual information data with reproduction limitation information. The reproduction limitation information involved in the audiovisual information data with reproduction limitation information is reproduction period limiting information that limits a reproduction period by setting a reproduction allowing period, number of times of reproduction limiting information that limits the number of times of reproduction by setting the allowed number of times of reproduction, and the like.
It may be impossible to reproduce audiovisual information represented by the audiovisual information data with reproduction limitation information, which is stored in the memory section in the information reproduction system, even if it is attempted to reproduce the audiovisual information when the reproduction allowing period represented by the reproduction limitation information has not come or has elapsed or when the allowed number of times of reproduction has been reached. In other words, when the reproduction allowing period represented by the reproduction limitation information has not come or has elapsed or when the allowed number of times of reproduction has been reached, although the audiovisual information data are stored in the memory section, it may be impossible to reproduce the audiovisual information represented by the audiovisual information data. When the audiovisual information data with reproduction limitation information in such a state continues to be stored in the memory section for a long period of time, it is likely that a storage capacity of the memory section is only reduced uselessly.
Thus, in the past, there has been proposed a system that adopts an idea of, concerning audiovisual information data with reproduction limitation information stored in a memory section, confirming the reproduction limitation information and, when the audiovisual information data is in a state in which limitation represented by the reproduction limitation information functions, automatically performing an operation for deleting the audiovisual information data from the memory section (see JP-A-2000-20689). In such a system proposed in the past, image data recorded by a digital camera is stored in a hard disk included in the memory section together with data representing an expiration data of the image data. Thereafter, the image data stored in the hard disk is retrieved and it is judged whether the expiration data of the retrieved image data has already elapsed. When the expiration data has not elapsed, the image data stored in the hard disk continues to be stored. When the expiration data has elapsed, the image data is automatically deleted from the hard disk. Consequently, a user of the system is released from, for example, work for confirmation of an unused capacity of the hard disk and a burden of data management work is reduced.